The food divine, lunch noise level minimal and our server, Bettie was positively amazing! She truly made the meal an experience! She identified the most popular and the most ordered meals- truly devoting her attention to detain, while having a good time with the customers! She made the meal a pleasure!!
SoCalNative
Well, I missed a few items from the old Cedar Creek menu, but the tavern has been a great place to eat with a wonderful selection, and some unique items. What's best is their weight staff Rubin who has been there for years and is always wonderful!
KA C.
Third time here and unfortunately disappointing. Stopped in for lunch on Saturday, they were serving the brunch menu and I was told I could not order the flat bread, not sure why as it is a lunch item. Went with the prime rib hash, it was mediocre at best....the potatoes were mushy with no flavor at all...couldn't eat them, eggs a bit undercooked and the meat was tender but I'm not sure if it was prime rib. For the prices they are charging the quality of the food just isn't there. It's a great spot, great staff but they need to improve on the quality of the food for sure for the $$.
Angela E.
Came here years ago as Cedar Creek and were very underwhelmed. I was so excited to see it was now in new hands with an OC facelift! Love the cozy indoor ambiance with a variety of booths and tables. And LOVED the fireplace. The place was packed but it never felt crowded or noisy - somehow they have been able to keep each table intimate for their guests. Our waiter was ah-mazing!! Would come back just to see him! He seemed to really enjoy his job and was very focused on us having a great dining experience. He provided lots of recommendations and some try witticism that kept us in stitches. We started with the Brussels sprouts and the squash flower flatbread - soooo good!! Will definitely have both of those again! My friends had the beef dip, the halibut special, and the fried chicken - all were hits. I tried the Buddha bowl which I would skip - too much rice and not enough veggies. But the dessert!!! Coconut walnut cake!! It was out of this world! The four of us shared one piece which was perfect as it is truly rich and decadent. Definitely a major improvement with the new owners - glad to have them in the neighborhood!
DiscerningDiner
This was my first time here and I was impressed by how visually beautiful this restaurant is. It was lunchtime and the place was doing great business, lots of people celebrating something or other and it was a lively atmosphere. The servers were very pleasant and seemed to actually enjoy their job, I watched them interact with various customers as if they were all old friends. I ordered the combination plate which was 1/2 turkey avocado sandwich, some salad, clam chowder and fries, a little bit of everything. First off let me say that the sandwich was so delicious and the avocado was very fresh, usually at other places the avocado is either slimy, past its prime or its made into a "spread" to hide its flaws, not here, this was some of the freshest avocado I've ever had in a restaurant. it was perfect. The clam chowder was very tasty as were the fries, the salad was just some frisee lettuce but still good. Overall I was very pleased with my lunchtime choice. I look forward to my next visit.
Stephanie S.
My first time at Tavern at the Mission (3/3/24) after several friends and colleagues have recommended it. I enjoyed every aspect, from the ambiance, staff and food. And the view out the window is stunning. I am a vegetarian and there were plenty of options to choose from.
Grammio
We chose a table in the bar area because it seems to be the quietest spot for 3 old ladies, haha. Seems to us the food is just as good, maybe better, since they changed ownership. We all had the half sandwich with soup and it also came with a salad. We love this restaurant.
RichardW
My wife and I ate with another couple on the patio. They had a heat lamp but it was also a sunny day so delightful. The patio is a nice place to eat, fairly quiet, and they don't pack the tables in too closely together. The food was good as was the service though a few too many dears and darlings for my taste. All-in-all, a delightful lunch.
Annie
We always like The Tavern, but have always sat outdoors. This time, because of the cold, we sat inside. It was lovely! I love the Stroganoff, so tasty! Salad always good also. And I will sometimes opt for indoors - also pleasant.
Jack D.
Food was mediocre at best. The service and the attitude were even more disappointing than the food. I would highly advise to stay clear unless you are into poor service and average food.
We were a group of 8. Our waitress forgot one of our appetizers then got one of our meals completely wrong (that person had to wait 8 minutes to get it corrected. We had to ask to get iced tea refills. Not proactive. The food was really good but service could have been better.
DanielW
The food was very delicious. The new owners have done a good job redecorating the restaurant. The service was excellent. Good news was they kept a couple of the menu items from the previous restaurant one of which was the Coconut cake. I only have one disappointment and that was the small portion of the cake. The previous restaurant used to give a very generous portion of the cake. The portion we received was small. Also, the martini came in a mini martini glass. The previous owner used a normal sized martini glass and provided a bit extra in a small carafe. Overall, I found the restaurant experience enjoyable but would not likely order the Coconut cake due to the now small portion size. And not likely to order a specialty drink such as the martini also due to the small portion size.
Michelle A.
The best things first- Samantha was our server and she was absolutely amazing! She was very attentive and embodied excellent customer service! If our visit was all about Samantha's it would have easily been 5 stars! Samantha suggested the coconut cake and we told her we've been to the establishment in Newport May times and in fact that's where we Celebrated my birthday last year! She said the coconut cake was exclusive to this restaurant! We had 5:00 reservations and were seated right away. About 10 minutes in- a gentleman came and apologized that we were seated in the wrong place because the hostess was new and didn't realize that table was needed for someone else. He asked us if we wouldn't mind selecting another table because they needed to use the table we were seated at. It was awkward (we were in the middle of the room) we obliged and selected another table and moved. When Samantha came back she was so apologetic and took our order. My daughter explained it was my birthday and this was also on the reservation. She expressed birthday wishes and was genuinely nice. Our food was delivered and delicious! The French onion soup is my favorite at the other place and it was equally as yummy here! The Blood Orange Cosmo was just as delicious too! About 7 minutes after receiving our food, another server comes and asks us do we want boxes for our food. We felt rushed. He brings boxes. Samantha returns and asks if we'd like dessert. She eventually boxes our food up and puts it in a bag for us- whenWe are finished eating. We settle on the coconut cake- which was exceptional. Samantha did not make us feel rushed at all. The table we were asked to leave is still empty. The tables next to us fill up before the cake was delivered and they really could have used our table (6 people sitting at 2 tables) so I understood why we were being rushed now. We eat our delicious cake and head out. The original table we were asked to move from was still empty when we left. We may give it a try again but honestly the Newport location always has excellent service from EVERYONE! Samantha would have fit in well there! We'll probably drive a little further next time and take in the scenic view and the better service!
SamIAm
Our entire party had an excellent and memorable experience! Due to the rain, we had to make some tweaks but the management and staff were extremely accommodating. From each seat and angle at our table in the main dining room in the evening, each had a welcoming, tasteful, and/or beautiful view. Our server was friendly, informative, and patient. All were happy with their meal selections!
Thomas
My wife had the Coconut Shrimp appetizer. It had four shrimp and was $22. This is too expensive for four shrimp! Most of us thought the food was very good and ample for lunch. The atmosphere was just right. However our luncheon party consisted of people from 75 to 86 years old, and all of us had problems hearing at the ambient noise level. Finally, our waiter, Ruben, was fantastic at remembering the orders of all nine people without writing anything down! The service was great. Tom J.
The food divine, lunch noise level minimal and our server, Bettie was positively amazing! She truly made the meal an experience! She identified the most popular and the most ordered meals- truly devoting her attention to detain, while having a good time with the customers! She made the meal a pleasure!!
Well, I missed a few items from the old Cedar Creek menu, but the tavern has been a great place to eat with a wonderful selection, and some unique items. What's best is their weight staff Rubin who has been there for years and is always wonderful!
Third time here and unfortunately disappointing. Stopped in for lunch on Saturday, they were serving the brunch menu and I was told I could not order the flat bread, not sure why as it is a lunch item. Went with the prime rib hash, it was mediocre at best....the potatoes were mushy with no flavor at all...couldn't eat them, eggs a bit undercooked and the meat was tender but I'm not sure if it was prime rib. For the prices they are charging the quality of the food just isn't there. It's a great spot, great staff but they need to improve on the quality of the food for sure for the $$.
Came here years ago as Cedar Creek and were very underwhelmed. I was so excited to see it was now in new hands with an OC facelift! Love the cozy indoor ambiance with a variety of booths and tables. And LOVED the fireplace. The place was packed but it never felt crowded or noisy - somehow they have been able to keep each table intimate for their guests. Our waiter was ah-mazing!! Would come back just to see him! He seemed to really enjoy his job and was very focused on us having a great dining experience. He provided lots of recommendations and some try witticism that kept us in stitches. We started with the Brussels sprouts and the squash flower flatbread - soooo good!! Will definitely have both of those again! My friends had the beef dip, the halibut special, and the fried chicken - all were hits. I tried the Buddha bowl which I would skip - too much rice and not enough veggies. But the dessert!!! Coconut walnut cake!! It was out of this world! The four of us shared one piece which was perfect as it is truly rich and decadent. Definitely a major improvement with the new owners - glad to have them in the neighborhood!
This was my first time here and I was impressed by how visually beautiful this restaurant is. It was lunchtime and the place was doing great business, lots of people celebrating something or other and it was a lively atmosphere. The servers were very pleasant and seemed to actually enjoy their job, I watched them interact with various customers as if they were all old friends. I ordered the combination plate which was 1/2 turkey avocado sandwich, some salad, clam chowder and fries, a little bit of everything. First off let me say that the sandwich was so delicious and the avocado was very fresh, usually at other places the avocado is either slimy, past its prime or its made into a "spread" to hide its flaws, not here, this was some of the freshest avocado I've ever had in a restaurant. it was perfect. The clam chowder was very tasty as were the fries, the salad was just some frisee lettuce but still good. Overall I was very pleased with my lunchtime choice. I look forward to my next visit.
My first time at Tavern at the Mission (3/3/24) after several friends and colleagues have recommended it. I enjoyed every aspect, from the ambiance, staff and food. And the view out the window is stunning. I am a vegetarian and there were plenty of options to choose from.
We chose a table in the bar area because it seems to be the quietest spot for 3 old ladies, haha. Seems to us the food is just as good, maybe better, since they changed ownership. We all had the half sandwich with soup and it also came with a salad. We love this restaurant.
My wife and I ate with another couple on the patio. They had a heat lamp but it was also a sunny day so delightful. The patio is a nice place to eat, fairly quiet, and they don't pack the tables in too closely together. The food was good as was the service though a few too many dears and darlings for my taste. All-in-all, a delightful lunch.
We always like The Tavern, but have always sat outdoors. This time, because of the cold, we sat inside. It was lovely! I love the Stroganoff, so tasty! Salad always good also. And I will sometimes opt for indoors - also pleasant.
Food was mediocre at best. The service and the attitude were even more disappointing than the food. I would highly advise to stay clear unless you are into poor service and average food.
Restaurantji Recommends
We were a group of 8. Our waitress forgot one of our appetizers then got one of our meals completely wrong (that person had to wait 8 minutes to get it corrected. We had to ask to get iced tea refills. Not proactive. The food was really good but service could have been better.
The food was very delicious. The new owners have done a good job redecorating the restaurant. The service was excellent. Good news was they kept a couple of the menu items from the previous restaurant one of which was the Coconut cake. I only have one disappointment and that was the small portion of the cake. The previous restaurant used to give a very generous portion of the cake. The portion we received was small. Also, the martini came in a mini martini glass. The previous owner used a normal sized martini glass and provided a bit extra in a small carafe. Overall, I found the restaurant experience enjoyable but would not likely order the Coconut cake due to the now small portion size. And not likely to order a specialty drink such as the martini also due to the small portion size.
The best things first- Samantha was our server and she was absolutely amazing! She was very attentive and embodied excellent customer service! If our visit was all about Samantha's it would have easily been 5 stars! Samantha suggested the coconut cake and we told her we've been to the establishment in Newport May times and in fact that's where we Celebrated my birthday last year! She said the coconut cake was exclusive to this restaurant! We had 5:00 reservations and were seated right away. About 10 minutes in- a gentleman came and apologized that we were seated in the wrong place because the hostess was new and didn't realize that table was needed for someone else. He asked us if we wouldn't mind selecting another table because they needed to use the table we were seated at. It was awkward (we were in the middle of the room) we obliged and selected another table and moved. When Samantha came back she was so apologetic and took our order. My daughter explained it was my birthday and this was also on the reservation. She expressed birthday wishes and was genuinely nice. Our food was delivered and delicious! The French onion soup is my favorite at the other place and it was equally as yummy here! The Blood Orange Cosmo was just as delicious too! About 7 minutes after receiving our food, another server comes and asks us do we want boxes for our food. We felt rushed. He brings boxes. Samantha returns and asks if we'd like dessert. She eventually boxes our food up and puts it in a bag for us- whenWe are finished eating. We settle on the coconut cake- which was exceptional. Samantha did not make us feel rushed at all. The table we were asked to leave is still empty. The tables next to us fill up before the cake was delivered and they really could have used our table (6 people sitting at 2 tables) so I understood why we were being rushed now. We eat our delicious cake and head out. The original table we were asked to move from was still empty when we left. We may give it a try again but honestly the Newport location always has excellent service from EVERYONE! Samantha would have fit in well there! We'll probably drive a little further next time and take in the scenic view and the better service!
Our entire party had an excellent and memorable experience! Due to the rain, we had to make some tweaks but the management and staff were extremely accommodating. From each seat and angle at our table in the main dining room in the evening, each had a welcoming, tasteful, and/or beautiful view. Our server was friendly, informative, and patient. All were happy with their meal selections!
My wife had the Coconut Shrimp appetizer. It had four shrimp and was $22. This is too expensive for four shrimp! Most of us thought the food was very good and ample for lunch. The atmosphere was just right. However our luncheon party consisted of people from 75 to 86 years old, and all of us had problems hearing at the ambient noise level. Finally, our waiter, Ruben, was fantastic at remembering the orders of all nine people without writing anything down! The service was great. Tom J.